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Greater Romania Party Mulls No-Confidence Motion Against Govt

15:07, 08 Feb. 2008
Gheorghe Funar, secretary general of Greater Romania Party (PRM), Friday warned Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu that, if he opposes the VAT cut for basic food, PRM will then submit the first no-confidence motion against the current government.

Vodafone Drops Daily Data Roaming Prices By Up To 45%

14:46, 08 Feb. 2008
Vodafone, the largest mobile telecommunications network company in the world by turnover, Friday announced a price reduction of up to 45% to its monthly data roaming prices for European business travelers starting June 2008.

Romania Might Back Tony Blair For EU Presidency

14:24, 08 Feb. 2008
Romania’s president Traian Basescu alluded, during an interview with French TV station France 24, stating that if France backs former British Premier Tony Blair for the EU presidency, Romania will support him also.

Romanian Pres Says 25% Of Magistrates Are Ex Securitate Members

13:34, 08 Feb. 2008
The president of the Romanian High Council of the Magistrates, Lidia Barbulescu, said that the statements made by president Traian Basescu, who said that 25% of magistrates are former Securitate members, "brings unusual damage" to the image of judges and prosecutors.

Romanian Justice Min Nominee Takes Fight To ECHR

10:05, 08 Feb. 2008
Romanian liberal Senator Norica Nicolai, nominated for the position of justice minister, stated that if the Constitutional Court "maintained Basescu’s reasons regarding immorality" regarding her, she would turn to the European Court for Human Rights.

Romania Wants TGV Line To Stretch Up To Bucharest

20:22, 07 Feb. 2008
Romanian president Traian Basescu said during an interview with French TV station France 24 that the country is currently discussing the possibility for Europe's newest high-speed train, the TGV East to also reach Bucharest.

Romania’s Possible Involvement In Chad Communicated To The EU

19:49, 07 Feb. 2008
Romania’s intention to send troops to Chad was communicated to the European Union and is to afterwards be approved by the country’s government, said on Thursday the foreign affairs minister to Mediafax reporters.

Dacia Logan Sedan Gets Facelift-Sources

19:05, 07 Feb. 2008
Automobile Dacia SA, the Romanian unit of French carmaker Renault (13190.FR), will launch in the second part of the year the facelift Logan Sedan, sources with the car industry said Thursday.

EBRD Might Invest In Romania’s CEC

17:37, 07 Feb. 2008
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or EBRD, does not exclude the possibility of investing in Romania’s savings bank Casa de Economii si Consemnatiuni, or CEC, said Thursday during a press conference, the institution’s president Jean Lemierre.

Romania’s ELCEN Price Hikes Likely Below Claim – FinMin

16:44, 07 Feb. 2008
Romania’s energy watchdog might approve an energy price hike below the unacceptable 15% increase asked by the country’s power producer Electrocentrale Bucuresti (ELCEN), part of domestic state-owned power distributor Termoelectrica, Romanian Economy Minister Varujan Vosganian said Thursday.

Court: Romanian Pres Entitled To Refuse Nicolai’s Nomination For Jus Min

16:40, 07 Feb. 2008
The Romanian Constitutional Court on Thursday decided President Traian Basescu was entitled to refuse the nomination of Norica Nicolai as minister of justice and ordered the government to nominate another person for the position.

Romanian Culture Min Offers Scholarship To Pavarotti Wannabe

16:11, 07 Feb. 2008
Romanian culture and cults minister Adrian Iorgulescu intends to offer Costel Busuioc – the Romanian in Spain who discovered his talents as a tenor – a scholarship for the study of canto and music theory at the Bucharest National University of Music.

Nokia Launches On Feb 11 First Production Unit In Romania

15:46, 07 Feb. 2008
Finnish mobile telephone giant Nokia will launch its first mobile phone production line in its plant in Jucu, in the central Romanian county of Cluj on Monday, February 11, 2008.

Romanian PM Says Troop Detachment Is Not A Govt Matter

14:00, 07 Feb. 2008
The detachment of Romanian troops to Chad was not a Government decision, nor a topic in the talks with French president Nicolas Sarkozy, but it is mentioned in a memorandum sent to the High Council for National Defense (CSAT) for approval, said Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu.

Romanian Govt To Spend EUR7M On Tourism Promotion

20:10, 06 Feb. 2008
The Romanian Government will spend some EUR7 million for programs promoting Romania from a tourism perspective. EUR2 million will be used for the launch of a national tourism brand, meant to bring in more visitors.

Romanian Govt Asks Parliament To Resume Automobile Craiova Privatization Law Debates – Sources

19:57, 06 Feb. 2008
The Romanian Government decided to ask the Senate to continue debates on the draft law privatizing car maker Automobile Craiova, which were suspended in October, when the European Commission launched an investigation searching for potential illegal state aid granted to American group Ford.

Romanian Journalists Not Liable For Footage Disclosure

19:35, 06 Feb. 2008
The Legal Committee of Romanian Senate on Wednesday approved an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code which absolves journalists from criminal responsibility over disclosed audio and video recordings.

Romania’s Fin Min To Take Corrective Actions If Lawmakers Adopt Lower VAT For Food

18:31, 06 Feb. 2008
Romania’s Ministry of Economy and Finance is to present in parliament a series of corrective measures if deputies adopt a decision cutting by 5% the value added tax for basic food, finance minister Varujan Vosganian said Wednesday.

Romania Grants RON759.8M In Damages To Former Depositors In CEC

17:18, 06 Feb. 2008
Romania will grant total damages of 759.8 million lei (EUR1-RON3.6579) to some 37,460 people who deposited money in bank Casa de Economii si Consemnatiuni, or CEC, in view of purchasing cars during the communist regime, minister of Economy and Finance Varujan Vosganian said Wednesday.

Romanian Defense Committee Hears Int, Defense Mins On Troop Detachment

17:15, 06 Feb. 2008
The Romanian Senate defense committee decided, Wednesday, to hear defense minister Teodor Melescanu and interior minister Cristian David on sending troops abroad, as well as several journalists from Romanian weekly "Academia Catavencu" regarding security at Airport Baneasa.

Romania’s Fin Min To Appeal Senate Decision On VAT Cut For Basic Food-PM

16:42, 06 Feb. 2008
Romania’s Ministry of Economy and Finance is to appeal at the Constitutional Court an act adopted by the Senate regarding a 5% cut in the VAT for basic food, as the decision, if adopted, would trigger lower revenues to the budget and would leave food prices unchanged, Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu said.

Romania Senate OKs 5% VAT Cut For Basic Food

14:17, 06 Feb. 2008
Romania’s senate on Wednesday approved a 5% cut of the value added tax for basic food – bread, meat, milk, vegetal oil and sugar.

Romanian Anticorruption Prosecutors Probe Former Agriculture Minister

13:44, 06 Feb. 2008
Romania’s former agriculture minister Decebal Traian Remes and his lawyer on Wednesday spent nearly two hours at the National Anticorruption Department (DNA).

Ex Romanian Football Coach Trains To Become Senator

11:29, 06 Feb. 2008
Anghel Iordanescu, former coach of Romania’s football team was unanimously appointed in the Senate's plenary session to take over the mandate of senator of the Social Democratic Party, or PSD, for the county of Ilfov.

Romanian Social Democrats To Back Majority Uninominal Voting System

21:09, 05 Feb. 2008
Romania’s leftist opposition Social Democratic Party, or PSD, Tuesday decided to back, during the debates in Parliament, the majority uninominal voting system in a single round of elections, PSD leader Mircea Geoana said.

Romania Life Insurance Mkt Seen Up 25% In 2008

17:59, 05 Feb. 2008
The growth rate of Romania’s life insurance market will reach 25% in 2008, up 5% from 2007, mainly due to people’s growing interest in these financial instruments, following the adhesion campaign to private pension funds.

Constitutional Court To Rule If Probe Requests For MPs Need Parliament Approval

17:43, 05 Feb. 2008
Romania’s Senate asked the Constitutional Court to rule whether Parliament should or should not give its approval regarding the notices on the start of criminal investigation against ministers who are also MPs.

Ctrl Bker Warns Against Danger Of Inflationary Spiral

15:56, 05 Feb. 2008
Romania’s central bank governor Mugur Isarescu on Tuesday said wage increases need to correlate with labor productivity to prevent creating an “inflationary spiral,” which is very hard to control.

Five Romanians Arrested In Spain For Plundering Jewelry Store

14:53, 05 Feb. 2008
The civilian guard in the town of Leon (north-western Spain) arrested five Romanian citizens, three women and two men, after they allegedly plundered a jewelry store in the city of Pola de Lena.

Romanian Fiscal Authority Takes Online Budget Statements On A National Level

14:53, 05 Feb. 2008
The Romanian National Fiscal Administration Agency (ANAF) will extend, to a national level, on April 1, the system that allows companies to submit budget statements online, said the president of the agency, Daniel Chitoiu.

Romania’s Econ Potential Highest Among SE European States- U.S. Ambassador

12:56, 05 Feb. 2008
Romania is one of the best-kept secrets when it comes to investment opportunities, U.S. Ambassador to Bucharest Nicholas Taubman said in New York on Tuesday, during an event meant to promote Romanian business opportunities.

Czech Profireal Opens Branch In Romania

12:05, 05 Feb. 2008
Profi Credit IFN SA, a member of the Czech financial group Profireal Group, has launched operations on the Romanian market on Tuesday, manager Tomas Rosenberger said.

Romania’s Dec Net Avg Salary Up 12.9% On Mo To RON1,266

10:49, 05 Feb. 2008
Romania net average wages in December 2007 rose 12.9% on the month to 1,266 lei, the National Institute for Statistics said Tuesday.

Romanian Petrom’s Refinery Ops Unaffected By Fire

10:48, 05 Feb. 2008
Petrobrazi Ploiesti refinery of Romanian Oil Company Petrom was subject to a fire on Tuesday morning, which damaged three storage tanks but did not affect the overall operations of the refinery, the company said in a statement.

Romanian Transport Minister Free Of Traffic Accident Criminal Probe

21:04, 04 Feb. 2008
The Prosecutors’ Office within the Romanian High Court of Justice decided not to initiate criminal investigations against transport minister Ludovic Orban regarding the traffic accident in which the dignitary was involved late last year.

Romanian Pres Says Bilateral Agreement Needed For Kosovo Independence

19:10, 04 Feb. 2008
French president Nicolas Sarkozy stated Monday, at the end of talks with his Romanian counterpart, that the independence of Kosovo is inevitable, while president Traian Basescu mentioned that Romania would never acknowledge such an unilateral declaration.

Romanian Foreign Affairs Min Salutes Serb Pres Reelection

17:16, 04 Feb. 2008
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs salutes the reelection of Boris Tadić as president of Serbia, for a new five-year mandate, pointing out that Romania has always been in favor of the pro-European forces in Belgrade.

French, Romanian Presidents To Sign Strategic Partnership Monday

15:17, 04 Feb. 2008
Romanian President Traian Basescu on Monday afternoon welcomed his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy during the latter’s one-day visit to Bucharest.

Romania Council Overseeing Securitate Files To Carry On Activity-PM

14:47, 04 Feb. 2008
The Romanian executive will issue an ordinance allowing the National Council in charge with overseeing the files of former communist secret police, or CNSAS, to carry on its activity, Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu said Monday.

Interim EC Report On Romanian Justice Filed

14:43, 04 Feb. 2008
The European Commission’s report with respect to the Romanian justice sector mentions that in key areas such as the fight against high-level corruption, the country did not manage to bring convincing results of having dealt with the problem.